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21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act Passes in U.S. House and Senate, to be Signed into Law

Submitted by Hannah Traverse on 02/28/2019

Legislation will help grow Service and Conservation Corps movement by expanding the Public Lands Corps authority to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), establishing an Indian Youth Service Corps initiative, and improving coordination between Corps and agencies under Public Lands Corps Authority

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act, or 21CSC Act, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 26 as part of the Natural Resources Management Act (S.47), a broad public lands package of more than 100 bills. The identical bill previously passed in the U.S. Senate on February 12 and is now expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump. The 21CSC Act assists the Service and Conservation Corps movement by allowing federal land and water management agencies to create formal, more flexible partnerships with Corps; ensuring better tracking of data and accomplishments; and increasing enrollment in Corps among Native American youth and veterans.

Under the 21CSC Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) will join the Departments of Interior and Agriculture as
part of the Public Lands Corps (PLC) Authority, giving NOAA and the Secretary
of Commerce increased flexibility in partnering with qualified Corps to
complete maintenance and improvement projects.

Among other provisions, the 21CSC Act also establishes an
“Indian Youth Service Corps.” This will allow federal resource management
agencies to enter into cooperative agreements with tribes or qualified Corps
for the administration of Corps programs that primarily engage Native American
young people.

Other key provisions of the legislation include a
requirement that the resource management agencies under the PLC Authority each
designate a coordinator to facilitate partnerships with qualified Corps; as
well as a requirement that the Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS) report to Congress every two years with important data on Corps. This
includes enrollment numbers and information about the types of service
performed by Corpsmembers. Collecting this information will help demonstrate
the impact and value of Corps.

“Service and Conservation Corps offer solutions. By engaging
young people and veterans in service to our country, Corps improve our public
lands and communities,” said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The
Corps Network and Co-Chair of the Partnership for the 21CSC. “With the 21CSC
Act now signed into law, we are excited about the possible opportunities to
expand this movement and grateful to the champions in Congress who helped
advance this bill. Thank you to Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski and to the original
sponsors: the late Sen. John McCain, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. McSally, and
Rep. Moulton.”

Corps are community-based programs that provide young adults
and recent veterans the opportunity to serve our country, advance their
education and obtain in-demand skills. Serving in crews or individual
positions, Corpsmembers complete meaningful terms of service. Projects include
addressing backlogged maintenance on public lands, various conservation and
infrastructure concerns, wildfires and natural disasters, outdoor recreation
access, and a range of other issues. During their service, Corps participants
gain hands-on work experience and prepare for careers in the growing
recreation, natural resource, and restoration economies.

Through public-private partnerships between 21CSC
organizations, resource management agencies, and the private sector, the 21CSC
builds rural and urban economies by engaging young adults and veterans in service
projects that increase access to public lands and enhance the natural resource
infrastructure that supports our country’s $887
billion outdoor economy.

Corps have been authorized to partner with federal land
management agencies through the PLC Authority, which
was passed as part of the National and Community Trust Act of 1993. The
21CSC Act updates this authority to recognize the need for a new 21st Century
Conservation Service Corps to address modern conservation, recreation,
forestry, and infrastructure needs.

The bipartisan 21CSC Act was introduced in the United States Senate (S.1403) and House of Representatives (H.R.2987) on June 21, 2017. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John McCain, Michael Bennet, Lamar Alexander and Tom Udall. It was introduced in the House by Reps. Martha McSally, Seth Moulton, Scott Tipton, and Raúl Grijalva. Additional co-sponsors joined in both the House and Senate. An earlier version of the 21CSC Act was introduced in the Senate in August 2015 (S.1993) by Sens. McCain and Bennet, and in the House in April 2016 (H.R.5114) by Reps. McSally and Moulton.

About The Corps Network

The Corps Network, the national association of Service and Conservation Corps, provides leadership and support to over 130 Corps across the United States. Through advocacy, and providing Corps access to funding opportunities and expert guidance, The Corps Network annually enables more than 25,000 Corpsmembers to strengthen communities, improve the environment and transform their lives through service. To learn more about The Corps Network, please visit www.corpsnetwork.org.

About the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps

The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) is a bipartisan, national initiative to leverage public-private relationships for cost-effective maintenance and improvement of America’s infrastructure, lands and waters. The 21CSC envisions partnerships between resource management agencies and Corps: organizations that engage America’s young adults and veterans in work-based national service projects that restore, conserve and enhance infrastructure and public lands and waters.

The 21CSC is an easy-to-implement solution to America’s aging infrastructure that also develops the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, recreationists, sportsmen and women, and resource managers. While gaining in-demand skills through their service, Corps participants also build respect and appreciation for our country, hard work, and the outdoors. To learn more about the 21CSC, please visit www.21csc.org.